VISIT LOCAL FARM NEWS

November 2023

Farmlandia Farm Loop

Marion Farm Loop

South Clackamas Farm Loop

Yamhill Farm Loop

Setting the table for Thanksgiving

with the Farm Loop

It's nearly time for families to gather and give thanks for the bounty we have and get ready for the December holidays. Put on a cozy sweater, prepare for a little rain and a little sunshine—and maybe a little chill— and join us as we celebrate November on the Farm Loops.

Please call farms ahead of your visit, view their website or check their farm Facebook pages for updates related to hours.

Last Farmers Market Standing: Beaverton

Farmers' markets are an integral part of the Oregon Farm Loop community. The following Farmers' markets have their market final days of the 2023 season coming up.

• Beaverton Farmers Market (Sunset Farm Loop) Continues every Saturday through November 25, 2023, which happens to be Small Business Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Beaverton Farmers Market:

The 2023 Oregon Farm Loop Gift Guide is HERE!

It's here! The 2023 Oregon Farm Loop Gift Guide has arrived!

View and download this 100% environmentally-friendly digital guide here.

Even if you don't see a Farm Loop member in the guide, contact them, anyway: more likely than not, they'll be happy to help you assemble your own custom gift packages.

When you buy either online or in-person from the Oregon Farm Loop members, you support small family farms and celebrate Oregon with your loved ones.

Avoid the crowds: shop the Farm Loop!

Encourage your favorite Farmers Markets in Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties to join the Oregon Farm Loop! We're taking applications for 2024 now. Contact us at farmloop@gmail.com for a link to the application form.

Dine and Wine with the Farm Loops

Set your Thanksgiving table and entertain family and guests with the finest the Oregon Farm Loops have to offer. Or bring your guests out to the farms and vineyards to see Oregon's agricultural beauty for themselves. Make it a Thanksgiving weekend tradition!

All beef, pork, and poultry from the Farm Loops is raised humanely and with no dangerous additives or chemicals.

Pair with wine, beer and/or cider made with locally grown ingredients and produced in the world-famous Willamette Valley.

Recently* learned fact: Oregon Pinot Noir pairs with turkey! (*"Recently" here is defined as when our Marketing Coordinator learned it a week or two ago. Ed.)

Photo by Jennifer Lasseter.. Wagyu-style hanger steak, chimichurri, and (spicy!) roasted potatoes. It was delicious.

On the Marion Farm Loop

• E.Z. Orchards Farm Market offers local meat and their own E.Z. Orchards cider, among all of the freshest local vegetables and gourmet foods to adorn your dinner table. Of course, you'll also need some cider donuts. (NEED.)
• Order some Thanksgiving pies from French Prairie Gardens & Family Farm online and schedule pickup so your pies are as fresh as possible. Several are made from scratch right in their bakery!
• Honeywood Winery, established in 1934 is Oregon's oldest producing winery. Consider their extensive selection of non-grape, Oregon fruit wines to go with a Thanksgiving turkey, or the grape-based "traditional" wines such as Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Gewertztraminer. Or mead!
• Lady Hill Winery is located on land the family has farmed since the 1850s (before Oregon was a state). They planted grape vines in 1995, and now they offer four main labels. These are wines that will speak to the "wine sophisticates" in your family.
• Pudding River Wine Cellars is a vineyard and winery that produces small-lot, boutique-styled wines, featuring Pinot Noir, Syrah, Malbec, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. Order online for shipping or on-site pickup.
• Scenic Valley Farm, Vineyard, and Winery produces sustainability-centered wines from grapes grown with Oregon's precious pollinators and salmon safety in mind. Varieties include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Tempranillo.
• Sublime Organics raise Muskovy ducks for meat and eggs, Boer goats, Katahdin sheep, and grass-fed beef. They practice humane and ecologically sustainable farming. Order online.
• Willamette Valley Pie Co. Pie! Order online or visit the bakery to do some "quality control" with a slice, fresh scones, muffins, coffee, smoothies and more!
• Willamette Valley Vineyards founder Jim Bernau's wines have been served at the White House (the real one!) and with good reason. They showcase some of the finest wines Oregon has to offer. Shop now for your Thanksgiving dinner and some to store for a few years. Select from Pinots, Cabernets, Merlots, Chardonnays, Syrahs, and more.

Photo by Jennifer Lasseter taken at Willamette Valley Vineyards Domaine Willamette

Sunset Farm Loop (now growing)

• All Natural Meats is a first-generation family farm that offers local, pasture-raised, natural, grass-fed and finished beef. Shop now for a beef share or 25 or 50-pound ground beef box. The ground beef is vacuum-packed in one-pound packages. Stock up now for the winter.
• Fraga Farmstead Creamery produces top-quality goat's milk products, including cheeses and goat's milk gelato.
• Helvetia Farm Market at Marion Acres offers fresh, pasture-raised, quality and sustainable chicken, beef, pork, eggs and turkey. Go traditional or go "artisan" for Thanksgiving. Taste the difference "pasture-raised" means.
• Lee Farms Cattle provides humanely pasture raises high quality Charolais and Black Angus beef cattle in Tualatin, Oregon. Contact them to ask about their pasture-raised pork products, as well.

On the South Clackamas Farm Loop

• Campfire Farms Meat Boxes are available for pickup on the farm, at one of their markets, or shipped to West Coast locations (poultry can be shipped only within Oregon because USDA rules). Get a Box O' Pork, Box O' Chicken, sausage links, bacon and more for Thanksgiving and beyond.
• Christopher Bridge Wines offers beautiful Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines, as well as Muscat, Kerner, Rosé Cuvée, Sparkling Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Ehrenfelser and their new 100% Estate 3-Reds Blend. Check their News & Events page for current tasting room hours.
• Clarkes General Store & Eatery offers basic convenience items, including fresh veggies, milk, eggs, bread, cleaning supplies, etc. They also sell most of the perishable items they use in their Eatery kitchen. Just let them know what you need.
• Forest Edge Vineyard has "extraordinary everyday wines" that are "informed by the rich tradition of Burgundian Winemaking and the ecological principles of Permaculture." Their tasting room is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5PM, and you can order online or in-person. Wine purchase by appointment is available, as well. Call 503.632.9463 for details.
• King's Raven Winery wines follow the old world, classic Burgundian terroir style production, hand-harvested and (clean!) feet-stomped. All of their wines are fermented using indigenous yeast. You can buy their wines at the winery or right now online.
• Lady-Lane Farm cows produce Garry's Meadow Fresh Jersey milk and other fine dairy products such as hand-paddled butter, farmstead cheese, fresh eggs and old-fashioned ice cream. They also sell high quality beef and pork raised right there on the farm.
• Martson Farm Highland Cattle, Inc. raise Scottish Highland cattle. According to their website, "[a] recent study by the Scottish Agricultural College found that Highland beef more than 10% less fat per serving than traditional commercial beef. Highland beef is also significantly lower in cholesterol than turkey, a meat commonly suggested as a beef alternative for recipes. Pound for pound, Highland beef has more iron and protein than commercial/commodity beef." And it's Scottish.
• Puddin' River Chocolates & Confections has the extra treats for you, your family, and your guests. Dark chocolate does go with red wine. (You deserve a treat!)
• SuDan Farm is where you can buy sheep, ducks, lambs, brown chicken eggs, duck eggs, meat chickens, sausages, lamb meat and lamb bones for dogs. Wool products, too, INCLUDING YARN. Order online or make an appointment to visit.
• TMK Creamery can help you with cheddar cheese curds (a must if you're serving poutine for any reason) and Meat & Cheese Platters (local pickup only).
• TMK Distillery (part of TMK Creamery) offers one of the 30 Best Top Shelf Vodkas (according to Mashed)! Better known on the Farm Loops as Cowcohol, this spirit— made from a byproduct of the cheese-making process—would add to the mirth and merriment your Thanksgiving surely will include (especially if your crowd likes puns). It will be Legendairy. (I did not make up any of the puns in this segment! ed.)

On the Yamhill Farm Loop

• Cougars Mark Vineyard specializes in producing high-quality Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris using grapes sourced from their vineyard and other local vineyards. From their farm to your table, you can taste the "small town love" directly from McMinnville. (Ask about the alpaca farm, too!)
• Durant at Red Ridge Farms features estate-grown and crafted wines from their beautiful Dundee Hills Wine Vineyards Tasting Room. Book a reservation today! (And book an olive mill tour, while you're there!)
• Eola Crest Cattle & 71X Farmstore in McMinnville offer locally born and farm-raised Angus beef.
• Source Farms let you order your Holiday Centerpiece by email. Enjoy a Source Farms turkey or holiday ham from Oregon. Or try an Exclusive Online Curated Box featuring Beef, Pork, or other seasonal meat or poultry. Or get a MYSTERY BOX!
• Tabula Rasa Farms, a part of Source Farms, raises grassfed/grass-finished cattle, heritage breed hogs, and pasture-raised laying hens. Find their products at their Source Farms marketplace.
• Yamhill Vineyards Bed and Breakfast offers you more than just a peaceful overnight room. Your hosts are Sue Stein, an innkeeper for about 20 years, and her husband Ralph Stein, a viticulturalist (grape farmer) for about 40 years. Enjoy a quiet, relaxing experience in a homelike environment at the inn, and purchase the Vineyard Practices-101 tour to get Ralph's guided tour throughout the vineyard. They will both lend their expertise to make your Yamhill County wine tasting experience special.

On the Farmlandia Farm Loop

• Lee Farms Cattle provides humanely pasture raises high quality Charolais and Black Angus beef cattle in Tualatin, Oregon. Contact them to ask about their pasture-raised pork products, as well. (Repeated from the Sunset Loop section in case you missed it. Lee Farms is on both Loops. Ed.)
• Pete's Mountain Vineyard lets you book a reservation (required) for Private fire Pits on the patio (parties of 1-6) or enjoy an Indoor Wine Tasting on Sundays (parties of 4-6).
• Terra Vina Wines Vineyard will be OPEN pre-Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekends. Reservations recommended. The ONLY way to get Terra Vina Wines is in their McMinnville and Vineyard tasting rooms, online, or by joining their wine club. Check their current releases page to see what's pouring.

November Events on the Farm Loops

November 2023 Farm Loop events include:

• Helvetia Farm Market (Sunset) Annual Turkey Pick Up & Thanksgiving Market - 11/18 & 19
• Kings Raven Winery (South Clackamas) Happy Hour Toys for Tots Fundraiser 11/17 6-9PM and Lost & Found Maréchal Foch Barrel Release Thanksgiving Weekend, 11/24-11/26.
• The Kitchen at Middleground Farms (Farmlandia) will help you all the way up to (nearly) the last minute with their Thanksgiving Prep Pick-up Party 11/22 5-8PM.
• Triskelee Farm (Farmlandia) Grill & Chill 11/25, 11-5 Take a break from cooking!

Check the Oregon Farm Loop Events page and follow the instructions to display one or more Farm Loops at a time! Or, click a Farm Loop logo to see the Events calendar for just that site. Keep checking: we add events as soon as possible when we learn about them.

Recipes from the Farm Loops

(Two for Thanksgiving)

Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Rosemary Fused Olive Oil (from Durant at Red Ridge Farms, Yamhill Farm Loop)

This soup/side dish uses autumnal ingredients you can get fresh on the Farm Loop.

CAVEAT: Durant Olive Mill Rosemary Fused Olive Oil appears to be unavailable currently, but this recipe is so perfect for November and Thanksgiving, we couldn't give up. You can start with top-quality extra-virgin olive oil from Durant and make your own Rosemary infusion! Or maybe try making this recipe with one of the other "Fused Olive Oil" flavors they currently offer. Your kitchen, your call! (Ed.)

Prep time: 20 mins. Cook time: 40 mins. Total time: 1 hour. Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

NOTE: The amounts here are for 1 serving. Visit the website linked in the recipe title above to let the page calculate as little as 1/4 serving to as much as three servings!

2 tbsp Durant Olive Mill Rosemary Fused Olive Oil* (see above)

2 Medium Yellow Onions

2 Medium Butternut Squash, about 5 pounds total, peeled and diced into chunks

4 Medium apples, peeled, cored and roughly diced

1 tbsp Finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish

4 cups Chicken or vegetable stock

3 tsp Sea salt

½ tsp grated nutmeg

¼ tsp Black pepper

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

Directions

1 Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large, deep stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil* (see above) over low. Add the onions and cook until very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2 While the onions cook, cut and peel the squash, fresh rosemary and apples. Add them to the pot, then add 2 cups of the stock. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low, then cover, and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, about 20 to 30 minutes depending upon how large you cut your squash and apple pieces (smaller pieces will cook more quickly).

3 Once the apples and squash in the soup pot are tender, puree the soup with an immersion blender or carefully transfer it to a food processor fitted with a steel blade to puree in batches. Return soup to the pot once complete. Add 1 cup of the remaining chicken stock, then stir, adding a bit more stock as needed to reach your desired consistency (the soup will thicken somewhat when stored). Leave the texture fairly thick and rich. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne. Taste and add a bit more salt and pepper as desired. Finish with more fresh rosemary and a drizzle of Rosemary Fused Olive Oil* (see above).

Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Thyme (from Ken & June's Hazelnuts, Marion Farm Loop)

Ingredients

2 pounds of fresh, slender green beans, trimmed

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coarsely chopped darkly roasted and skinned Oregon hazelnuts

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook just until the beans are becoming tender, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately plunge the beans into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain well and set aside for up to several hours in the refrigerator.

2 When ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the thyme and gently sauté for 1 minute. Add the mustard and salt and stir to blend it into the butter. Add the beans to the skillet and sauté until the beans are just barely tender, which will take about 7 minutes. Toss with most of the hazelnuts and then transfer the beans to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining hazelnuts and the remaining 1 tablespoon of thyme.

Did we humans forget anything in this newsletter? Please let us know at farmloop@gmail.com.